TPC Deere Run — Attraction in Silvis

Disappointing Experience at TPC Deere Run

Rating: 1/5 Stars

I'll start with the only positive: some nice views of the Rock River. Unfortunately, that's where the good ends.

Course Maintenance - Unacceptable for $140/Round

The rough was absolutely disgraceful. I'm not talking about penalty areas - I mean the first cut just off the fairways. Grass was over 8 inches high in many spots, clearly uncut for nearly 4 weeks (since before the John Deere Classic in early July). You literally had to be within 4 feet of your ball to see it. We couldn't even find some of our balls from tee shots even though they landed just barely off the fairway. After 4-5 holes, we gave up trying to hit from the rough and just moved our balls back to the fairway - what else could we do?

The greens weren't much better. I constantly had to repair ball marks and spike damage just to have a decent putting line. For $140 per person, basic course maintenance should be a given.

Staff Attitude - Hostile and Unrealistic

One club professional harassed our group from hole 6 through 15, demanding we maintain an unrealistic pace despite: This being our first time playing the course Cart path only restrictions due to previous day's rain (which easily adds 30+ minutes to any round) Playing in a heat advisory with heat index over 105°F Two players in their late 60s and 70s having to walk excessive distances at a rapid pace

When I confronted the pro about the rough conditions, he actually tried to claim this was "normal for a professional-grade course." Complete nonsense. The pros who played here 4 weeks ago enjoyed rough that was 4-5 inches shorter than what we faced.

Most insulting: they badgered us constantly despite NO ONE being held up behind us. The pro even decided one hole was "too difficult" for us and made us skip it entirely and drive to the next tee - so we didn't even get to play a full 18 holes! Our round took 5.5 hours (noon to 5:30 PM) due to their poorly maintained conditions and cart restrictions, yet somehow this was our fault.

Additional Issues

Food Quality: Received a bone-dry hot dog that was practically inedible, not that I had any time to eat Weather Conditions: While rain isn't their fault, asking players to fill their divots while walking excessive distances in dangerous heat shows poor judgment. We eventually stopped filling divots on the back nine just to save time and energy. For $140 per person, you'd think basic course maintenance would be handled by staff, not passed off to customers. Cart Path Policy: Again, rain happens, but staff showed zero accommodation for the additional time this requires

Bottom Line

$280 for two rounds of golf on a course with month-old rough, poor greens, subpar food, and hostile staff. We expected much better from a venue that hosts PGA Tour events. Save your money and play elsewhere - there are far better options in the area that actually maintain their course and treat customers with respect.

Would not...

Absolutely gorgeous course, especially with the leaves turning. It's a unique, challenging track. It's the first time I've played on a PGA course so it was very cool to consider all of the greats who had played the same holes. The golf was an amazing experience.

The only black mark was the exchange with the worker who cleaned my clubs. He was super friendly when I approached, then his tone shifted when I gave him a $3 tip... (Isn't anyone authentic anymore?) He simply gruffed that my clubs would be up top for me.

I had some larger bills, but those were the only 1s I had, but I also figured that was sufficient. I would have just given him a 5 (if I had one). And until his ungrateful response, I would have gotten some change at the clubhouse and given him a few more bucks.

Afterward, I even looked up average tip in this situation, and it seems that $3-5 is the going rate, so I felt like that was still within the realm of being acceptable (it wasn't like I completely stiffed him). Like, at least it was something ...

People need to be more grateful these days. Tipping culture is so out of control in this country (and it's very arbitrary based on profession). It was a buzzkill to leave such a great place with a sour taste in my mouth from that interaction. I just think that needs to be addressed so it doesn't happen in the future. It's too nice of a place to treat customers like that.

Edit-- It seems that other reviews constantly say how great the staff was, and the staff really was great except for that. And I don't know, maybe I felt a little guilty for not having the $5 and misinterpreted something, but it sure seemed like he flipped a switch on me. Everyone else at the course was absolutely great, from the bag check guy to the starter to the guy in the clubhouse. Oh, and the grounds crew stopped mowing to point out a ball for me. That was...

TPC Deere Run is an excellent golf course. I play there a few times a year because of the value I get from the QCA Card. The course is always in excellent shape with fast greens. The facility itself would rate 5 stars if it weren’t for the practice chipping green.

I have been playing golf for 40 years. I’ve played at different courses from Butler National in Oakbrook IL to Longwood CC in Crete IL to a little municipal course in Clear Lake South Dakota. I’ve practiced at places like Cog Hill in Lemont IL and the municipal course in Watertown South Dakota and in all the years I have been playing and practicing, I have never seen a practice chipping green area with the kinds of divots that TPC Deere Run has. I have no idea if the divots are from golfers who are deliberately trying to damage the area or if there is some shot that requires full shot divots from 25 yards away. I’d really like to know as I have never taken a divot such as these pictured in all my years of playing and practicing chip shots.

The area looks like the practice tee after a week’s worth of use prior to moving the designated hitting area to fresh, healed turf. It appears to me that the area needs to be closed so that the turf can heal. It is frustrating to practice landing chip shots short of the green only to have the ball land in a divot and careen off in an unintended direction. Make no mistake; the chipping area is not indicative of the areas around the greens...